- Unity House
- A House That Uses No Fuel? It’s Here at Unity College
- Click Here to Learn More
March 2009
A FIRST FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN UNITED STATES Bensonwood’s Unity House at Unity College Achieves LEED Platinum Status Four Models of Net-Zero, Carbon Neutral Unity Homes Now Available to General Market, Praised by Maine Green Building Council
Unity, ME – Unity House, the second home designed and constructed by Bensonwood Homes as part of the groundbreaking Open Prototype Initiative (OPI), has achieved LEED Platinum designation, the U.S.. Green Building Council’s highest rating for environmentally sustainable construction. “We’re thrilled the Unity House has received the Platinum certification,” said Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Homes. “There may be only a handful of prefabricated residential homes in the United States that can make this claim, but we don’t think that should be the case. Our goal is to share our techniques with the industry and show others how it can be achieved so that in the coming years, high-performance homebuilding is the norm in housing—not the exception. If Unity House can achieve LEED Platinum status in Maine, imagine how achievable this standard would be in states with more temperate weather.”
The news that Unity House had achieved LEED Platinum status earned high praise from the United States Green Building Council (USBC), Maine Chapter.
To achieve LEED Platinum certification, Unity House was scored in a number of areas, from the design process and building materials used, to energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. One of the key attributes of the home lies in Bensonwood’s Open-Built® design/build system, which separates out the wires, piping, ducting and other mechanical systems and organizes them into chases. With the mechanical systems disentangled from the structure of the house, they are then easily accessible for future repairs, upgrades, or general remodeling without the waste normally associated with these kinds of renovations.
Unity House has a number of elements added into its design to ensure sustainable living standards. The 1,930 square foot home is highly insulated, has a tight thermal envelope, and its windows provide passive solar heating, which means that, as late as last December, when outside temperatures dropped into the teens, its residents, Mitch and Cindy Thomashow, rarely needed to use energy from the home’s photovoltaic solar panels to heat the home. “We didn’t have to use the heat pump until mid-November, when it was very cold outside for several days in a row, which is important to homeowners in the Northeast,” said Mitch Thomashow. “Every day we discover some new ‘green’ feature and every day we learn more about how to live sustainably. It’s a great honor to live here.” (Read more about Mitch and Cindy’s experience of living in Unity House on their blog www.livinggreeninunityhouse.blogspot.com). Unity House was constructed on a concrete slab to retain heat in the winter and help cool the house in the summer. High-efficiency appliances and low-flow water fixtures were also added. Interior walls can be moved or detached using simple tools, creating new space for its residents.
Bensonwood is currently offering four different Net-Zero capable models in their Unity Collection®, ranging in size, from 994 square feet to just under 2,000 square feet, and in price, from the high $300Ks to the high $500Ks depending on design elements. These prices cover the entire house construction, including the foundation, solar power, solar hot water, all fixtures and appliances (See more at www.bensonwood.com/unity). “Using alternate energy sources, like solar, wind or geothermal, the Unity Collection® of homes can achieve Net Zero energy usage,” adds Benson. “Even with conventional energy sources such as fossil fuels, electric, or even wood, they can operate for pennies on the dollar and on greatly reduced carbon footprints.” Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education which emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community. About USGBC and LEED
About MIT House_n: House_n is a Department of Architecture research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which explores how new technologies, materials, and strategies for design can make possible dynamic, evolving places that respond to the complexities of life. Other major House_n initiatives include The PlaceLab and the Open Source Building Alliance. For more information, go to http://architecture.mit.edu/house_n. About Unity College: Unity College is a small environmental college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education that emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community. For more information, go to www.unity.edu. About the Industry Partners/Sponsors DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS Bensonwood Dow J.M. Huber Corporation PRODUCT SPONSORS groSolar Hallowell International Hodell-Natco Industries Loyalist Forest Stevens Roofing Systems
|
.jpg)
